2024: Sports year-in-review

Anderson County schools, sports excelled

January 1, 2025

As we close out 2024 and welcome 2025, it’s time to reflect on the biggest sports moments across Anderson County this year. From historic achievements to outstanding individual performances, here’s a look at the stories that defined the year in high school and middle school sports.





These stories are not ranked in any particular order, but these are some of the biggest things that happened in high schools and middle schools across Anderson County over the past year.



Football

Anderson County completes another perfect Region 2-4A football run: The Mavericks finished 11-2 in 2024, losing in the TSSAA Class 4A semifinals in a close game in Macon County.

Senior quarterback Landen Hensley made the move from Campbell County after a stellar career with the Cougars.

He had an immediate impact for the Mavericks, who now have not lost a league game in eight years.

Hensley was just one of many stars for ACHS, which found another running back to carry the load as senior Waylon LaRue, after waiting his turn behind Gavin Noe and Nick Moog the last two seasons, burst onto the scene and quickly emerged as one of East Tennessee’s most potent and versatile offensive weapons.

Young Oak Ridge team shocks high school football world:

The Wildcats won their second-consecutive Region 3-5A championship in 2024, completing a second-straight perfect run through a league that featured Lenoir City, Clinton, Karns and Campbell County.

In two years as Oak Ridge’s head football coach, Derek Rang hasn’t lost a region game. The Wildcats, who finished 9-5 overall lost in the Class 5A state semifinals to eventual state champion Sevier County.

Oak Ridge had several key players (including wide receiver Will Pressley) miss games due to injury.

The Wildcats, however, persevered. Junior quarterback Blaine Stansberry had a stellar campaign in 2024 and will return for his senior season as owner of several of the school’s passing records. Sophomore running back Damylian Porter emerged as one of the area’s top backs.

That trio leads several key returners into the 2025 season, where the Wildcats will make the move to Class 6A.

Clinton makes postseason for second-consecutive year:

Clinton High, under the direction of interim Head Coach Jason Hamock, made the Class 5A playoffs for the second-straight season.

The Dragons had wins over Scott, Campbell County and Karns in 2024, despite having one of the area’s youngest teams.

Their battle with adversity began in the summer when former Coach Darell Keith’s contract wasn’t renewed.

When he left, some players exited the program, and Hamock was appointed as interim coach.

The Dragons, who took their share of lumps in 2024, have a talented group of players returning. They’ll also have a new coach.

Clinton hires Dawson as football coach:

Jake Dawson was tapped to take the reins for the CHS football team in early December. Dawson, 24, comes to Clinton from Knoxville Catholic High School, where he spent the 2024 campaign as the Irish’s defensive coordinator under head Coach Philip Shadowens.

Prior to his brief stint with Shadowens and the Irish, Dawson served as co-defensive coordinator at Heritage High School under head coach and former Tennessee assistant Joe Osovet, who he met with the Vols. They worked at UT under former Coach Jeremy Pruitt. Osovet coached tight ends, while Dawson was an undergraduate defensive assistant.

He was also the defensive secondary coach at Powell in 2021 when the Panthers won the Class 5A State Championship.

Rams win Tennessee Valley Athletic Conference Championship: In its first year under the direction of Coach Ron Gray, the Robertsville Middle School football team went 10-1 and claimed the TVAC regular-season title and postseason championship.

Gray took over from former Coach Tyler Carr, who remained with the team as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.

The Rams suffered their only loss of the 2024 campaign in a midseason non-league overtime shootout against Grace Christian Academy in Knoxville.

Gray, a longtime high school offensive coordinator who made stops at Knoxville Catholic, Knoxville Halls and Oak Ridge, looks to return for a second season coaching the Rams in 2025.



Soccer

A banner year for Lady Dragons soccer team: Clinton, despite a significant lack of depth, won 10 games and finished second in District 4-AA standings. Crosstown rival Anderson County won the league title and tournament championship. The Lady Dragons were also the tournament runners-up and qualified for the regionals for the first time in program history. Senior Elly Leander had 32 goals for Clinton in 2024.

Lady Mavericks win region soccer title: Anderson County won both the district regular-season title and postseason tournament championship in 2024.

The Lady Mavs also won the Region 2-AA championship, but lost in the sectionals, coming up short of making a trip to the state tournament in Chattanooga.

Emma Leander (Elly’s twin sister) led ACHS with 40 goals and was named the league’s MVP.

Leander sisters to play at Carson-Newman: After playing for rival high schools for the past four seasons, twin sisters Elly and Emma Leander will join forces in college at Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City. Elly was Clinton’s leading scorer and was named District 4-AA Attacker of the Year, while Emma led the Lady Mavs to the Region 2-AA Tournament title and was named district MVP.



Volleyball

Anderson County volleyball reaches state tournament again: ACHS made another deep postseason run in 2024 despite entering the season with a young team that featured just two seniors in Alyssa Meier and Shelby Kelly.

The Lady Mavericks won the district tournament as the No. 2 seed. They were also region champions.

Lady Dragons win another district volleyball championship:

Clinton rolled to its second-consecutive District 3-AAA volleyball title. The Lady Dragons went undefeated in district play for a second-consecutive season and went on to win the postseason tournament.

Clinton won a program record 34 matches in 2024, while playing against some of the state’s stiffest competition.



Golf

Anderson County boys golf team advances to region tournament: ACHS’s boys golf team finished third in its district championship tournament and advanced to the region championships.

Anderson County’s Caden Williams finished fourth at the district championships in September.

Also, the Lady Mavs had three players make the region championship field as Sydney May, Molly Jackson and Coy Tomlinson also qualified for regionals.

Clinton sends three golfers to region championships: Grant Hannah and Braden Wolfe represented the Dragons at the region championships in October. Kinley Crowley qualified to represent the Lady Dragons at the region.

Oak Ridge’s Bentz wins district, qualifies for state: ORHS senior golfer Jack Bentz won the individual District 4-AA golf championship and helped the Wildcats qualify for the region championships. He would later qualify for the state championships, where he finished 21st.



Cross Country

Anderson County’s Ava Moody wins state cross country championship: The Lady Mavericks junior won the 2024 Class A/AA state championship. She also won the region title for the second straight year.

Hollifield, Bostrom reach state championships for Clinton:

Alli Hollified and Cooper Bostrom each reached the state championship cross country meet. Hollifield finished her high school career. Bostrom looks to return for his junior season in 2025.

Oak Ridge cross country teams take third at regionals:

The Wildcats and Lady Wildcats both finished third in the region championships. Both went on to the state meet in Hendersonville.



Flag Football

Lady Mavs make noise in first year of flag football: ACHS went 8-2 overall and 6-2 in its first season competing in girls flag football. Coach Jonathan Cotton looks for the sport to continue growing in East Tennessee.



Basketball

Clinton boys basketball team reaches district championship game for sixth consecutive year:

Clinton finished as runner-up in the District 4-AAA championship game for the second-straight year.

The Dragons have now played in six consecutive district title games.

Anderson County boys win second straight district basketball title: The Mavs won both the regular-season and tournament championship last season after winning the tournament title in 2023.

ACHS’s Brandon Dake, who recently became the school’s all-time leading scorer, had a record-setting performance against Gibbs last season, breaking a single-game record for three-pointers and points scored.

Oak Ridge sweeps district basketball championships: The Wildcats and Lady Wildcats both swept the District 3-4A regular-season and tournament championships in 2023-24. Both teams also advanced to the Region 2-4A semifinals.



Wrestling

Anderson County at state duals championship: The Mavericks advanced to the state wrestling duals in 2024, and, for the first time in team history, won a match at during the championship tournament.

The Mavericks also had multiple medalists at the traditional state tournament in February.

Clinton’s Leavell wins state wrestling title: Sophomore Deamion Leavell, a 165-pound wrestler, won the school’s first-ever state championship in 2024.



Track and Field

Area athletes shine at state track and field championships:

Anderson County had three athletes combine for four championships at the Spring Fling at MTSU in May.

Ava Moody won two distance titles. Luke Dark was the state shot put champion and Vance Laster, a distance specialist, also came home with a gold medal.

Oak Ridge’s Mason Greenhalgh won the Class AAA 800-meter run championship on the state’s grand stage.

Clinton’s Lucas Butz qualified for the state championships in the hurdles. He came in sixth, and was the first Clinton athlete to reach the state championships in some time.

Baseball

Oak Ridge baseball team reaches state tournament: Coach Travis Free and the Wildcats were in Murfreesboro in May. They won the District 3-4A tournament championship as the third seed. They were the region runner-ups and defeated Sevier County in a best-of-3 sectional series on the road, punching their ticket to the Midstate, where they won a game, defeating Bradley Central.